This game grabs you right at the beginning continuing right as you left off. Once you get started, the game play and pace is a little different than the original Half Life 2. After you readjust, the game is smooth and slick with a few repetitive patches. This game is really meant for the player who has a yearning to learn more about the Half Life 2 universe. The still impressive Source engine holds its own against is much newer competitors. Valve really has this brand on lockdown: they could probably produce ten more episodes without running out of story to tell.